~/tools/email
Email Providers
last updated 2026-06-17 · 6 recommendations · what changed
Email is where everything else lives: password resets, receipts, your real name.
Moving it off Gmail or Outlook is one of the bigger wins you can get,
and it's less painful than it sounds.
before you pick
Email was never designed to be private. Even the best provider here can't encrypt
a message end-to-end when the other side is on Gmail.
What you're choosing is who stores your mail, under which laws, and how much
of it they can read. Set your expectations there and you'll choose well.
what actually matters
encryption at rest
Can the provider read your stored mail? "Zero-access" means even they can't open your inbox.
jurisdiction
The laws the provider answers to. Switzerland and Germany are popular for a reason: strong privacy law, no gag-order culture.
standard protocols
IMAP/SMTP support means you can use any mail client and leave anytime. Some providers trade this away for stronger encryption.
custom domain
Your address shouldn't be hostage to a provider. A domain you own means you can switch later without telling anyone.
recommendations
Proton Mail
the default pick
🇨🇭 switzerlandzero-accessopen-source clientsauditedfree tier · ~€4/mo
The most technically robust encrypted provider available. Mail between Proton
users is end-to-end encrypted automatically, everything at rest is zero-access,
and the apps are polished enough that nobody in your family will complain. The
wider ecosystem (Calendar, Drive, VPN, Pass, SimpleLogin aliases) makes it a
clean one-stop Google exit, and the
VPN bundle discount is genuinely good value.
Be clear-eyed about one thing: Proton has cooperated with Swiss court orders
on the narrow data it does hold (IP logs, metadata) while
consistently honoring its stated data-minimization policy. The cases that drew
criticism involved user assumptions about data that was never claimed to be
protected. Not a scandal; a threat-model calibration issue.
good
- Zero-access storage; E2EE between Proton users and via PGP
- Polished apps on every platform
- Custom domains, catch-all, and built-in aliasing on paid plans
- Long track record and regular independent audits
mind the
- No direct IMAP: desktop clients need Proton Bridge (paid plans)
- Will comply with Swiss courts for the metadata it does hold: calibrate accordingly
- VC-backed and increasingly commercial: worth monitoring, not currently a red flag
- Subject lines aren't encrypted (PGP limitation)
mailbox
the standards pick
🇩🇪 germanyimap/smtppgp guardoffice suite~€1/mo
For people who want privacy without leaving standard email behind.
Rebranded from Mailbox.org to simply "mailbox" in September 2025, with product
names Mail, Office, Meet, and Drive replacing the old branding; same German
company (Heinlein Group), same data centers. Full IMAP/SMTP means Thunderbird,
FairEmail, or anything else just works, no bridge, no lock-in. Optional PGP
"Guard" encrypts mail at rest, and you get a full calendar/contacts/office suite
for pocket change.
good
- Real IMAP/SMTP: use any client, migrate out anytime
- Cheap, transparent pricing; no free-tier upsell games
- Custom domains on every plan
- Boring in the best way: stable German company since the 90s
mind the
- Encryption at rest is opt-in, not the default
- Web interface looks dated next to Proton or Tuta
- No free tier (30-day trial only)
Tuta
the all-in encryption pick
🇩🇪 germanyencrypts subjectspost-quantumopen sourcefree tier · ~€3/mo
Tuta goes further than anyone on encryption: its own protocol covers subject
lines, calendars, and contacts, and it's already rolling in post-quantum
algorithms. The trade: you live inside Tuta's apps. If maximum
encryption matters more to you than client choice, this is the one.
good
- Encrypts more than PGP can, including subject lines
- Very affordable paid plans; fair free tier
- Fully open-source clients
- Encrypted calendar included even on free
mind the
- No IMAP at all: official apps only
- No PGP interop with other encrypted providers
- Search and offline behavior can feel limited
Posteo
the anonymity pick
🇩🇪 germanyanonymous signupcash paymentgreen energy€1/mo
No name, no phone number, and you can literally mail them cash.
Posteo strips identifying data on purpose and keeps the price at a euro a month.
The catch is philosophical consistency: no custom domains, because your address
would link back to you.
good
- Truly anonymous signup and payment options
- IMAP/SMTP supported; optional full-storage encryption
- €1/mo, no tiers, no upsells
mind the
- No custom domains: by design, but a real lock-in trade-off
- 2GB base storage is small (expandable cheaply)
- Spartan web interface
StartMail
the alias-first pick
🇳🇱 netherlandsunlimited aliasesimap/smtpbuilt-in pgp~$5/mo
From the Startpage family, with aliasing as the headline feature:
unlimited burner and custom aliases built straight into the
inbox, no separate service to wire up. Standard IMAP/SMTP means any
client works, and PGP is handled in the web interface for the rare
correspondent who has it. The pragmatic pick if alias-per-signup is the
habit you're building your email life around.
good
- Aliases are first-class: create and burn them inline as you sign up
- IMAP/SMTP support; custom domains available
- Simple one-tier pricing, EU jurisdiction
mind the
- Same System1 (ad-tech) ownership caveat as Startpage
- Encryption at rest is vault-based, not zero-access like Proton/Tuta
- No free tier; smaller ecosystem (no calendar/drive suite)
Disroot
the nonprofit pick
🇳🇱 netherlandsnonprofit collectiveno ads, no trackingimap/smtpfree
Disroot isn't a company selling you a product: it's a nonprofit,
ethically-run collective offering email alongside a wider suite of
federated and open-source services (cloud storage, chat, calendars, and
more), funded by donations rather than subscriptions. Standard IMAP/SMTP
means any client works, and there's no upsell funnel because there's nothing
being sold. The trade is the one you'd expect from volunteer-run
infrastructure: no SLA, no support line, and storage limits are modest.
good
- Nonprofit, donation-funded: no ads, no data monetization incentive
- Free, with standard IMAP/SMTP access
- Part of a wider ethical-services suite beyond just email
- EU jurisdiction (Netherlands)
mind the
- No zero-access encryption at rest: trust is in the collective's ethics, not cryptography
- Volunteer-run: no formal SLA or paid support
- Modest default storage; donations keep the lights on, so consider chipping in
at a glance
prices are ballpark annual rates, check the provider before you commit.
worth knowing
Get a domain before you migrate. A you@yourdomain.com
address means you can change providers in an afternoon without updating a single
account. It's the cheapest insurance on this page.
Don't hand your address to everyone. Pair your provider with an
aliasing service (SimpleLogin, addy.io, or the aliasing built into Proton's paid
plans and StartMail): a unique alias per signup means leaks are traceable and
revocable.
Pick a recovery address outside your main ecosystem. A free
account at an ethically run independent provider like Disroot makes a solid
recovery/backup address, meaningful redundancy without re-concentrating
everything in one company's hands.
Migrate in layers. Forward your old inbox to the new one, move
important accounts first (banks, government, recovery emails), and let the long
tail update itself over a few months. Nobody actually does it in one weekend.
Email ≠ secure messaging. If the content truly can't leak,
it belongs in a private messenger, not an inbox.